9 Months

NINE MONTHS

 Laughing.

I used to be able to put him on this little car to get some pictures, but now he knows how to stand up and swing his leg off of it to get up!

After taking Jayden's 9 month photos, we found the missing onesie stickers!!

I ended up doing his pictures all over again because I like the old stickers so much better than the replacement ones.

Hello out there!

I'm outta here.

 Jayden loves books. I am constantly putting books back on the shelves throughout the day. He loves playing with them, moving them around, biting them, and looking through them.

For Jayden's 9 month "birthday" we gave him the gift of freedom. We expanded his roaming area. Big strong gates went up blocking him from going into the kitchen or hallway and then everything in between was baby proofed, which was no easy task.

Our living room has become a big play room. Completely safe and filled with toys. He loves it.

The most annoying toy ever.

I hear it in my sleep.

The batteries died on his raceway so now he uses it as a chair or something to stand on in order to look out the window. Daddy will have to put new batteries in soon.

Eating is going very well. He is great with finger foods. He only has two teeth but does so well with everything he tries. He is a big fan of mexican food. Out of all the kinds of fruits and vegetables he has had, the only one he hasn't liked is watermelon! I thought maybe it was a fluke, but everytime I give him watermelon, he makes a face and spits the pieces back out.

There have been so many big milestones this past month. Everyday he is becoming more and more like a toddler and less like my little baby.

He has started saying "Mama." At first I thought he was just saying it, but then I began to realize he really knows what it means. Like for example, he will say it if he's upset I am leaving the room. Or if he's not getting his way with daddy he will sometimes say it. Or if I have something he wants and he's coming towards me to get it.

For a while he was shaking his head "no" at us, which was adorable. He hasn't done it in a while though.

He has started walking unassisted a little bit! Just a few steps here and there, but it's very exciting. The other night I put him down and assumed he would squat down and crawl away. Instead, he stood there for a second and then walked away! We can never catch it on video though. He's always been good at that. We'll video for 5 minutes, stop the camera, and then that's when he'll do it.

He went to his first wedding! He did very well.

Jayden and Grandpa at the wedding.

Unfortunately he also went to his first funeral. I discovered how loud a baby is in a quiet church. He wasn't crying or anything, but just normal sounds are loud, especialy with the church echo. We sat towards the back so we could make a quick exit if needed. He did very well, but I spent the whole time stressing out about it.

He loves water! Whether it's his little baby pool in the backyard, the spray park I took him to, or Grandma and Grandpa's big pool, he loves it!

He got his first haircut!

He graduated from his infant car seat. He seems to be enjoying it. I miss being able to just pick the car seat up and carry him inside wherever we are going if he's sleeping, but he seems so much happier in it so it is a good change. (I still sit in the back with him whenever Adam is driving, hehe.)

Just two nights ago he said "kitty" when one of my parents' cats walked past him. It was extra special because my parents and my Aunt and Uncle got to hear it. I've always said kitty would be one of his first words because we say it so often with him at home. He loves the cats.

He signs the words "finished," "more," and "milk." Although, his sign for milk is just opening his hand and holding it up high. His favorite is "finished." If we just say the word, he signs it. We use it most when he's done eating in his high chair, but he also sometimes uses it when he wants to get out of his car seat or wants to be done with a diaper change. He has also used it if he's just frustrated with a situation. Like if we are on the opposite side of one of the gates from him.

He gives baby kisses, which just involve him touching our skin with his mouth wide open. I love them.

We had a great Father's Day.

Jayden and Daddy being silly on Father's Day.

We have our 9 month well visit later this week. I am looking forward to seeing where he is with those percentiles now. He's had a big growth spurt and was over 17 lbs when I last weighed him.

Jayden is a happy, healthy 9 month old boy and we can't get enough of him. I think our love for him grows every month.

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6/25/11 Update:

I tried watermelon for a 3rd time and this time he LOVED it. Chewed it right down to the rind! haha. I think he just needed to get used to the texture.